Mead is the oldest fermented drink known to mankind. Liqueur Mead is made by fortifying Mead with a neutral spirit and a selection of herbs and spices. After up to 3 years in oak barrels, it is ready to drink neat or over ice.

d'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz is a firm favourite with many McLaren Vale Shiraz lovers and for good reason. This is another great example of the rich, full-bodied style with aromas of ripe blackberry and spice that mingle with minty peppery notes. The palate is full-flavoured, supple in texture with a velvety finish.

Shingleback owners John & Kym Davey produce a lovely, rich McLaren Vale Shiraz here with aromas of ripe cherry fruit, milk chocolate and licorice. Plush and sweet fruited on the palate, the tannins are soft and supple. Wonderful drinking.

Olivers Taranga have access to some rare old vine Grenache fruit from their Taranga vineyards and they make the most of them with this quite brilliant McLaren Vale Grenache. The perfect balance between the lively, fresh and fruit driven aspect of the variety and an earthy savoury backbone that completes this wine perfectly. Always made in small batches to increase the quality and concentration, don't miss out on this stand-out Grenache from a region that specialises in it.

While normally associated with Grenache and Shiraz blends, Mourvèdre recently has begun to stand on its own two feet as a stand-alone wine. Quite evocative in nature, Chapel Hill's Mourvèdre is a dark and brooding red with wonderful hints of spice and violet tones. Walking the line between medium and full-bodied, this wouldn't be out of place next to either a thick cut steak or a plate of picked Mediterranean vegetables.

Chapel Hill's Cabernet Sauvignon is a superb McLaren Vale wine which rivals others well beyond its price range. Generous blackcurrant, dark cherries, cedar and spice mixed in with fine, firm tannins. This wine can be enjoyed now but will continue to improve with a few years in the cellar.

Mrs Wigley was not the wife of Wirra Wirra founder, Robert Strangways Wigley, but in fact a neighbouring cat that took up residence in the winery open top fermenters. The rosé show aromas of fresh strawberry and cherry and a crisp palate of light spice and a lingering dry finish.

Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon is a standout wine of flavoursome red fruits and currants; firmly structured, very rich and grippy. Deserves to be taken very seriously. Proof of such comes with the Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2011 McLaren Vale Wine Show.

Ben Riggs has hand-crafted a delicious Shiraz Cabernet Merlot blend here that pays homage to the three-spiked prickle that can be found in the McLaren Vale region and the fact that it's hard to ignore. This unctuous red blend is also extremely hard to ignore with its seamless varietal integration that produces a wine full of richness and opulence. Ripe, dark berry fruits courtesy of Merlot along with spice elements from the Shiraz and a firm, but balanced structure from the Cabernet all come together superbly.

With its boisterous berry flavours and hallmark tannin structure, this wine hailed us down like a vocal New Yorker at rush hour. We fastidiously selected each barrel for this wine whereby it affectionately became known as the '1st off the rank'. With the lovely palate length and balance that make Cabernet Sauvignon 'king', it is full-bodied yet is no West Coast wanna-be. Made from fastidiously selected barrels, we are quietly confident that it will be the first wine you'll want to jump into at any lineup. Rich plum and blackcurrant flavours swerve into savoury liquorice and cedar notes, followed by a friendly toot of thyme .